How Much Does an At-Home DNA Test Cost? A Complete Breakdown by Test Type

The cost of an at-home DNA test depends on what kind of test you order, how many people are involved, and whether you need a standard cheek swab or a specialized sample method. We at My Forever DNA have been running an AABB-accredited, CAP-certified DNA testing service since 2015, and this guide walks you through exactly what drives the price of each test we offer.

Key takeaways:

1. At-home relationship tests start at $139: a standard 2-participant paternity or maternity test is the entry point.
2. Additional participants add $80 to $100 each: extra children, extra alleged fathers, or additional siblings raise the total.
3. Discreet DNA testing costs more than a cheek swab: alternative sample kits run $199 to $349 because forensic DNA extraction is billed separately.
4. Multi-location kits add roughly $45 to $110: shipping two kits to two addresses costs more than a single-location kit.
5. Prenatal paternity and legal DNA testing sit at the top of the price range: NIPP prenatal paternity is $1,550, and legal DNA testing starts at $299.

What determines the cost of an at-home DNA test?

The price you see on a product page is not one flat number applied to every DNA test. Five factors drive the total you pay at checkout, and once you understand them, the price of any test on our site is easy to work out.

The type of DNA test you need

Different relationship tests use different laboratory procedures, and that changes the base price. Paternity and maternity tests are the most affordable because they compare one parent to one child directly. Sibling, grandparent, and aunt/uncle tests cost more because the analysis is less direct and requires more comparison work at the lab.

Twin zygosity tests sit between the two groups because the comparison is simpler than sibling analysis. Prenatal paternity is the most expensive category because it requires clinical blood collection and specialized fetal DNA isolation. You can browse the full lineup on our at-home DNA tests collection to see how each test type is priced.

The number of participants

A standard paternity test includes one alleged father and one child. If you need to include a second child, a second alleged father, or the mother, each additional participant adds to the price because the lab performs a separate DNA extraction and marker analysis for every person tested.

Current per-person add-on pricing at My Forever DNA:

• Additional child: $80 each
• Additional alleged father: $80 each
• Additional mother: $80 each
• Additional sibling (beyond the first 2): $100 each
• Additional grandchild or niece/nephew: $100 each

The sample collection method

A cheek swab is the standard collection method and carries no additional processing cost. Discreet samples like a toothbrush, hair with the root attached, nail clippings, or earwax require forensic DNA extraction, which is billed as a separate line item because the lab has to isolate DNA from a non-standard source.

Each discreet sample adds $100 to the base test price. If a sample does not yield enough viable DNA, a $100 retesting fee applies for the next sample. Learn more about which samples work and how discreet testing is priced on our discreet DNA testing collection.

Where the participants are located

Single-location kits ship one collection kit to one address. Multi-location kits ship two kits to two addresses so participants in different cities or states can collect independently. Multi-location kits cost more because the lab issues, tracks, and processes multiple kit deliveries within one case. If your case involves parents, siblings, or grandchildren living apart, see our multi-location DNA testing collection for the exact pricing on your configuration.

Turnaround time

Standard lab processing runs 1-3 business days after all samples arrive. End-to-end timing from order to results is typically 5-10 business days. Discreet samples take 5-7 business days at the lab because of the extraction step. 

How much does an at-home paternity DNA test cost?

A standard at-home paternity test at My Forever DNA is $139 and includes one alleged father and one child, using cheek swabs, all lab fees, and prepaid FedEx shipping both ways. This is the most common paternity configuration and covers the majority of paternity cases we process. See the full paternity kit lineup and current pricing on our at-home paternity DNA test collection.

Paternity price rises when the case includes more people. Current pricing for common configurations:

• 1 father + 1 child (standard): $139
• 1 father + 1 child + mother (2-in-1 paternity + maternity): $219
• 1 father + 2 children: $219
• 1 father + 3 children: $299
• 1 father + 4 children: $379

We at My Forever DNA include everything in the base price: the collection kit, all lab fees, results reporting, and prepaid FedEx shipping in both directions. The father-and-child-only configuration at $139 is the most common because a paternity test does not require the mother's sample to produce accurate results. Including the mother is optional and can strengthen clarity in a small number of complex cases.

If the father and child live at different addresses, the multi-location paternity kit starts at $184 and ships one kit to each participant so nobody has to travel to collect samples together.

Home paternity vs. legal paternity

A home paternity test is for personal knowledge and cannot be used in court. A legal paternity test costs more because it requires verified photo identification, witnessed sample collection at an approved facility, and a documented chain of custody signed off by the laboratory. Legal paternity testing at our Omaha office starts at $299. See the section below for what the legal service includes.

How much does a prenatal paternity (NIPP) DNA test cost?

Prenatal paternity testing at My Forever DNA is $1,550 and is available as an in-office service at our Omaha location. The price is higher than standard at-home paternity because the test requires a clinical blood draw from the mother, specialized isolation of fetal DNA from the maternal bloodstream, and analysis performed at a specialized laboratory.

Non-Invasive Prenatal Paternity (NIPP) can be performed as early as 7 weeks into pregnancy. It is completely non-invasive for the baby because the fetal DNA is collected from the mother's bloodstream rather than through amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling. The alleged father provides a standard cheek swab at the appointment.

We at My Forever DNA are one of the few providers in the Omaha area offering NIPP as a walk-in service, and appointments are scheduled directly with our office rather than through a referral. Full details, appointment booking, and current pricing are on the NIPP prenatal paternity collection. This is not a mail-in test.

How much do maternity, sibling, grandparent, and aunt/uncle DNA tests cost?

These tests all use the same cheek swab collection method as paternity, and each has a fixed starting price with add-on fees for additional participants.

• Maternity DNA test (1 mother + 1 child): $139 - see at-home maternity DNA testing
• Sibling DNA test (2 siblings): $249 - see at-home sibling DNA testing
• Grandparent DNA test (grandparent + grandchild): $249 - see at-home grandparent DNA testing
• Aunt or uncle (avuncular) DNA test: $249 - see at-home aunt/uncle DNA testing
• Twin zygosity test (2 twins): $159 - see at-home twin zygosity DNA testing

The reason maternity is priced like paternity while sibling, grandparent, and aunt/uncle tests are higher comes down to the lab work involved. A mother-child comparison is direct, similar to a father-child paternity. Sibling, grandparent, and aunt/uncle tests require more complex analysis because the genetic overlap between the tested people is smaller and less direct than a parent-child match.

Families choose these tests when the direct parent is unavailable, unwilling to test, or deceased, and they want to establish a biological relationship through the next closest blood relative. Grandparent tests are the most common of the three because grandparents are often the most accessible relative in these cases. Additional siblings, grandchildren, or nieces/nephews can be added to any of these tests for $100 per person.

Multi-location versions of these tests

If the participants live at different addresses, multi-location kits are available for each of these test types:

• Multi-location maternity: $184
• Multi-location twin zygosity: $209
• Multi-location sibling, grandparent, aunt/uncle: $294

Multi-location kits ship a separate collection kit to each participant, and each kit is returned directly to the lab. This is the option most families use when relatives are spread across states or when scheduling a single in-person collection is not practical.

How much does discreet DNA testing cost?

Discreet DNA testing uses samples other than a cheek swab, and the price reflects the additional forensic extraction the lab performs on non-standard samples. At My Forever DNA, discreet paternity kits start at $239 for a single alternative sample paired with a standard cheek swab.

Configurations we currently offer:

• Discreet paternity with 1 alternative sample (toothbrush, hair, earwax, nail clippings, etc.): $239
• Discreet paternity using hair follicle samples: $239
• Discreet paternity with 2 toothbrush samples (father + child): $339
• Discreet aunt/uncle DNA test: $349

Each additional discreet sample after the first is $100. If a submitted sample does not contain enough viable DNA to complete the test, a $100 retesting fee applies for the next sample. The retesting fee covers the extraction attempt regardless of whether a full DNA profile is recovered, because the lab has already committed the forensic work whether or not the extraction succeeds.

We at My Forever DNA process discreet samples through the same AABB-accredited laboratory that handles our standard cheek swab tests, so the accuracy of the final result is not affected by the sample type as long as the sample yields a complete DNA profile. Full sample requirements, submission instructions, and current pricing for every discreet configuration are on the discreet DNA testing collection.

What sample types are accepted for discreet testing

Discreet samples accepted at our lab include toothbrushes, hair with the root attached, nail clippings, earwax on Q-tips, used tissues, razors, cigarette butts, and chewing gum. Items that do not yield reliable DNA (water bottles, cups, utensils, breast milk) are not accepted because the sample either contains mixed DNA from multiple people or degrades too quickly for accurate analysis.

How much does a DNA test for a child cost?

DNA testing for a child is not priced by the child's age. What changes the price is the type of relationship being tested and how many people are involved.

The most common configuration for a child is a father-child paternity test, which is $139 as a standard 2-participant kit and is the base at-home paternity DNA test we offer. If you also want to include the mother, the 2-in-1 paternity plus maternity kit is $219. If more than one child is being tested against the same alleged father, the price rises by $80 per additional child.

For cases where the biological father is unavailable and the goal is to confirm the child's paternal lineage through another relative, families typically move to a grandparent, aunt/uncle, or sibling test at $249 as the starting price. These tests are covered in the section above.

How much does a DIY digital DNA test cost?

DIY digital DNA tests are the most affordable option we offer because no physical kit ships. You download the collection instructions immediately after ordering, collect your own samples using standard cheek swabs at home, and mail them directly to our lab.

Current DIY pricing:

• DIY paternity: $99
• DIY paternity with alternative samples: $199
• DIY sibling, grandparent, or aunt/uncle: $199

DIY tests use the same lab, the same 24 DNA markers, and produce the same accuracy as tests that ship with a physical kit. The lower price reflects the removal of kit assembly and outbound shipping. Customers who choose DIY are typically people who need results quickly, want to skip the kit delivery step, or are comfortable buying and supplying their own cotton swabs.

How much does a legal, court-admissible DNA test cost?

Legal DNA testing at My Forever DNA starts at $299 and is performed as an in-office service at our Omaha location. The price is higher than a home DNA test because of the documentation and collection requirements the courts impose on any DNA result they accept.

Here is what is included in the legal DNA testing process we run:

• Identity verification: every participant presents government-issued photo identification at the appointment, and the ID is documented in the case file.
• Witnessed sample collection: samples are collected by a trained professional in our office rather than at home, and the collection is witnessed and documented.
• Sealed chain of custody: samples are sealed at the time of collection, tracked through every step of transport, and delivered to the lab under a documented chain of custody.
• Signed laboratory report: the final report is signed by the AABB-accredited laboratory and formatted to be accepted by courts, child support offices, immigration officials, and other legal authorities.

The final price varies with the number of participants tested and the type of relationship being examined, because legal testing follows the same participant-based pricing as at-home testing but with the added documentation cost. Immigration DNA testing runs through the same in-office legal process. Appointment booking and current pricing are on our legal DNA testing service. We at My Forever DNA offer walk-in appointments as well as scheduled visits, and our team can confirm the exact cost for your case before you commit.

What is the total cost of a DNA test from start to finish?

The price on our product pages covers everything included in the standard test: the collection kit, prepaid FedEx shipping both ways for at-home kits, all laboratory fees, and the results report delivered by email. There are no separate charges for kit shipping, kit registration, or basic results delivery.

Additional costs you may encounter depending on your specific case:

• Additional participants: $80 to $100 per person beyond the base configuration.
• Additional discreet samples: $100 per sample beyond the first.
• Retesting fees: $100 per additional discreet sample if the first sample does not yield viable DNA.
• Rush processing: available on some tests, priced separately.
• In-office collection at our Omaha location: if you prefer a professional collection rather than at-home swabbing.

If you are unsure which configuration fits your situation, our guide to choosing the right at-home DNA test walks through the decision in more detail. For anything the guide does not answer, contact our team directly and a DNA Specialist will help you work out the right test and the exact price before you order.